Auckland Museum and Institute (War Memorial Museum)

Perched on top of a dormant volcano, the Auckland War Memorial Museum is one of New Zealand’s finest museums. The Museum is the place to explore Maori and Pacific Island history with the largest collection of artifacts in the world, including buildings, canoes, carvings and around 1.2 million images.

An extensive permanent exhibition covers the wars in which New Zealand has been involved both at home and abroad. Exhibits include Spitfire and Mitsubishi Zero airplanes and models of Maori pas (earth fortifications).

Children will have fun exploring in the Stevenson Centre where they can get up close with bugs and birds and even touch a real elephant tooth. The Walk on the Wild Side self-guided tour explores the evolutionary history of New Zealand’s plants and animals giving kids the chance to see dinosaur bones and fossils.

Practical Info

The Museum sits in Auckland Domain, a beautiful sweep of parkland in the center of the city. The eco-friendly, green LINK bus can be caught at various stops in the inner city; jump off at Parnell and the Museum is only a five minute walk away. If you’re driving there is plenty of parking on site.